The rantings of a teacher who retired from the classroom but not from education.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Words Of Wisdom

A rabbi whose community does not disagree with him is not really a rabbi and a rabbi who fears his community is not really a man.Rabbi Israel Salame

The picture above was taken in the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. . I didn't think about my Rabbi when I read it, I thought about most of the school administrators I have worked for over the years.

Most administrators want "yes" people. When they say "jump" the only question they will tolerate is "how high?" Having a different or even a better way of doing something is just not what they want. I remember my first AP and how she had a department of newbies jumping at her slightest word. It was only when we banded together and collectively held our ground, did we get some things to change. But, she never liked us and did what she could to replace us with the jumpers. (All of the non jumpers went on to have successful long careers, some even as administrators elsewhere.)

The rabbi is the spiritual leader of a community. He (and in recent years she) is the one gone to for answers and for help. The rabbi's word has always been law. Yet, this great rabbi insists disagreement is the only way to go. Too bad school administrators do not have the same confidence.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Can u please reprint the Rabbi's words? The pic is funny.

When my principal changed the Reading Response Journal to 3 test-prep questions a night, I said something. I brought my students' journals with me to that meeting so I could read the wonderful responses that really proved the children not only understood the story, but extended their thinking. She REFUSED to hear it. The school joke was that her favorite word was, "NO!!"But in this case, it was all about her bonus. For the record, only 1 other teacher tried to get her to see how wrong she was.